Monthly Archives: June 2007
Ocean’s Thirteen
Ocean’s Eleven, which is the basis for this third installation in the series, is a remake of a 1960 film starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford, and Sammy Davis Jr. That film brought together the famous “Rat Pack” actors and depicted them as former World War II soldiers and officers who reunite [...]
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
The story of the Fantastic Four’s first encounter with the Silver Surfer, and that of Earth’s first run in with the alien entity known as Galactus, represent one of the most memorable stories in the superhero genre. Retelling this story is simply a matter of special effects. The characters are there, the compelling sci-fi action [...]
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
This latest film in the Pirates of the Caribbean series finishes off a trilogy arch. Other trilogies like Lord of the Rings, have plots set in steel. The three films blend together to form one single masterpiece. with action rising and falling on a global scale in the primary, and on an individual scale in [...]
Kingdom Come
Mark Waid and Alex Ross’ graphic novel Kingdom Come is one of the most profound, beautifully written, masterfully illustrated, and important graphic novels in the DC Comics library. This book leaps forward a hypothetical decade into the continuity, and provides the long DC tradition with closure and meaning. It draws on both established comic book [...]
Posted in Graphic Novels, Reviews
Tagged alex ross, dc comics, graphic novels, religion
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Marvels
This book is the story of the first half century of the Marvel Comics universe. It is revealed to us through the eyes of Phil Sheldon, a newspaper photographer who lives in New York City and witnesses the rise of the Super Hero Age. The story starts out in 1939 with the birth of the [...]
Posted in Graphic Novels, Reviews
Tagged alex ross, discrimination, graphic novels, marvel comics, racism
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Overheard in New York
There is something artistic about unintentional examples of life. We always see paintings of bowls of fruit, black and white photographs of people walking their dogs, or books about people going about their lives. In March of 2000, UC Berkley student Benjamin Stewart founded a website called In Passing, which listed overheard snippets of conversations, [...]
Posted in Hypertext, Reviews, Social Commentary
Tagged hypertext, social commentary, web magazines
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24, Season 6
Over the course of this series, Jack Bauer has gone from being merely an American James Bond to being an excellent example of the tragic hero. This transformation is no more surprising than the endless plot twists which plague Bauer and his comrades every season. This season serves to cement Jack in the role of [...]
Comparing the DC & Marvel Universes
There are many publishers of comic books today. At least a half dozen in the United States, more than a few in Japan, and a handful everywhere else. In the US, smaller publishers like Darkhorse Comics, feed the niche markets of hardcore enthusiasts and people interested in IP fiction like Star Wars or Aliens. However [...]